I, too, have never understood why people walk on and drive over the tracks. If I can hear the darn train coming thru with it's horn blowing up on Foothills by LaCumbre why can't they? I have been told that it hard to tell how fast they are really moving, but if I see one within my sight I stay put where I am until it passes. Now I am sure I will get blasted by those who don't, and get upset, but then again I am still here.

It was reported that the guy was 63yrs old and they are fairly certain it was suicide. Usually, after someone gets hit by a train, the conductor's will blast their horn a lot more when going thru the city.

You would think differently if you had ever been impacted by a brush fire 553. I certainly don't object to Roger taking a proactive approach. If you do I'd say that maybe you are the one who needs to chill.

We were out on the freeways (101 and 405) today and the lane-splitting motorcycle riding was hair-raising. Just one tiny miscalculation or swerve of either car or driver, because the cycles come inches close to the side of cars, and it's all over. Friend of mine died that way; it's not theoretical.

534 is right, in my eyes. Train tracks exist to move trains---very large, heavy, moving objects. Trains have been around in these parts longer than all of us have been alive. Regardless of whether or not this was an accident the outcome is still tragic. I wish peace to all of the people involved. i hope that the person who took the pictures has the wherewithal to not publish them out of sheer respect.

It seems like a good idea to instill common sense in people so they don't step in front of moving trains. But then the city government and organizations like COAST and SBCAN don't insist on pedestrian common sense when someone steps in front of a moving car. Instead they blame the motorist and insist on implementing foolish "traffic calming" schemes that never work. Now those people are blaming the train because the train's horn is not loud enough.

Actually the train is making good speed when it crosses State St.---Picked up some friends yesterday and was suprised how fast it was moving even at the loading dock. Friends said PA system on board warns about standing as abrupt stop will be made at station.

I was riding by just as it happened and the guy was under the front left wheel, and pretty mangled. No police or EMT's yet-they got there fast. I talked to a kid who watched it happen and he said that the guy who got hit actually dove in front of the train. I specifically asked him if he meant that the guy wanted to get run over and he said yes, that is exactly what it looked like. He had pictures of the immediate aftermath on his phone. The poor train driver was ashen. I felt terrible for him.

532P - perhaps we could instill common sense into our youth instead of trying to idiot proof everything? They're train tracks. There are trains on them. Trains make plenty of noise already. There are traffic control lights, sounds, and guards at train track crossings. Did I mention that trains are endemic to train tracks? We don't need any more noise pollution.

The story’s headline “Arrestee Injured… handcuffed in the Back Seat of a Police Car” reminded me of an alleged practice I’ve heard of called the “Invisible Dog.” If this actually occurs, I’m sure it’s limited to smaller and less professional law enforcement agencies than the one’s we’re used to doing business with.

As told to me by a cop friend in a small community in NW Florida. “It works like this; you have an unusually obnoxious arrestee handcuffed in the back seat. Metal bars and wire mesh separate the front seat from the back. No time to fasten the seat belt. On the way to the jail the cop slams on his brakes a couple of times, exclaiming “Damn dog” and/or “Stupid Cat.” The arrestee, with his hands behind his back and sitting a slippery plastic seat… well, you get the idea. I’m not judging here, just repeating a story as told to me.

Regarding the accident, it seems pretty straightforward to me; Honda runs the red light, Honda’s at fault—the end. Also, I’m surprised anyone would call this intersection dangerous or unconventional. It’s a two lane 90 degree intersection in a light business/residential area. One signal on each corner, good signage and unrestricted visibility in all directions. What’s the problem? Nice job reporting Urban Hikers!

I sure wish Amtrak and UP engines were equipped with a sound ( other than the horn sound) which could alert folks by the tracks in such an alarming way...or by other means... to signal that a train is approaching. Should Amtrak or Union Pacific sponsor a safety alert innovation contest? Yes, maybe the drunks don't hear..but that sweet gal who lost her life by the tracks at Butterfly Beach recently, might still be alive if there were such a system. Game on you enterprising problem solvers!!!!

Go work with Richard at the Iyengar Yoga Studio of Santa Barbara Yoga Studio on DeLaVina atreet. Helped me AND my husband with our sciatica! It's all about making space down there between the vertebrae. The sciatic nerve is being squeezed or pinched and it is agony. Iyengar yoga really went after that area and made the space needed. Now i know what to do if I get another flare- up, but it's almost been a year with no pain. Check out IYSSB - don't be intimidated cos it is yoga! There are men and women there of all ages. The English woman who runs it is so friendly and you will feel taken care of. Promise!

The time has come for those involved in this cover up to take responsibility for their actions. For attempting to diffuse the seriousness of these criminal acts against our children and for being the hunter's - the predator's advocate, while knowingly sacrificing his helpless and vulnerable prey.

Apologies are hollow. They are meaningless coming Curry, who would have happily carried on rubbing shoulders with trusting members of this community, schools and church for decades, if his hypocrisy not been discovered.

Ireland had the courage to speak up for their children and put their safety before supporting a flawed clergy. I hope we have the strength to do the same.

TWO people made bad choices, the young man who died was drunk and blacked out, the driver fled because he didn't want to go to jail from being pain killers. The boy is dead and both fam with forever be changed. It can happen to anyone

I went online Warehouse Discount, and found the ones on sale, then called the store on upper State near McDonalds, and they matched the sales price. I bought a NEW washer & dryer 1/2 price, plus free delivery and installation. And, they were rated high on the Consumer Reports list.

491: Don't spend 13 hours in a casino gambling. Don't get behind the wheel of a car at midnight when you are 77 years old and have been gambling since 11 a.m. Not to mention driving 3 plus hours up from LA area to gamble. How sick are all these people to be so obsessed with gambling. Shut down the casino. DO NOT give the casino more alcohol permits. Too many accidents are caused by gamblers/partiers/druggies coming to and going from the casino, probably way more than we ever hear about.

I guess this explains the high bail amount to all those confused by it in the previous post a week ago.

Without knowing why Simon was on the freeway, it's hard to point any semblance of blame to him. Yes he shouldn't have been there, but the point of this ongoing investigation is why someone ( now two people ) wouldn't stop the car after being in an accident. Then try to hide the car, the dad, the texts messages now.

Why hide evidence if you didn't think you did anything wrong. It's not murder, but manslaughter be sure to make that destinction

There's a guy who hangs out on the bridge by glen oaks drive in montecito. He takes the bus to the stop nearby. I take that bus too. He used to have a red bike. What happened to it? Does anyone know what or who I'm talking about? The man is schizophrenic.

It's a big empty lot next to Super Rica's and listed as the former future home of SBKitchens. Maybe it's a future EPA superfund clean up site. I hear it's a fun place for kids in the hood to their kicks. What story are you looking for?

Please be a wee bit more specific if you want salient or specific answers. :-)

I like to walk up the beach from Hendry's and crash the private parties. If asked, pick an address on the far side of Hope Ranch to provide so people won't wonder why they haven't met you before. Good times.

Lane splitting is legal for motorcycles to do in California... but only under certain conditions. It is not legal for vehicles when a motorcycle is occupying the lane, something I see more and more younger drivers do.

0486... a fright is very unpleasant but it won't send you to the hospital like nudging a motorcyclist out of his/her lane can.

Even worse, 479, is that if the police see you attempting to avoid the roadblock they treat this as evidence of criminal conduct and thus use it to justify detention. It's a catch-22 with you the loser. Implicit in your observation about the reported danger of dui is the truth that we ignore much more dangerous behavior in our country every day--e.g., the spread of firearms, the lack of proper health care, approval of corrupted food supplies, refusal to clean our waters.

I totally agree that cars need to pay attention to bikes but so many times I've had a biker zoom in between lanes in busy traffic and scare me bc they're so close! Everyone needs to just slow down and be safe!

My parents managed to grab a few matchbooks from the restaurant on top of the world trade center back in 2000 before it went down. I think my dad still has a few mcdonalds ashtrays stashed away somewhere Crazy to think about places and trends that have come and gone.

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm glad that many have been able to see the effect, because it's so cool when it works. As for the question, yes they're created from "two photos taken from different angles."

JoJo showed me a trick for seeing the 3D effect: hold a finger or thumb up in front of the pic about halfway between your eyes and the screen. While focusing on your finger, move it away from the screen until the size of the middle image is a little larger than the other two. Then either shift your gaze to a feature in the pic right next to your finger, or move your finger away while keeping your eyes in the same position. I find this trick works best if I position my finger next to a prominent feature like the cave in the top pic, and that shifting focus from my finger to the screen works best at about 1/3 of the distance from my eyes to the screen. I think the reason this works is that your eyes are already crossed, so you only need to slightly uncross your eyes as you automatically relax your focus to look at the screen. At normal computer viewing distance, my finger is about 8" from the screen. Theoretically anyone who can focus on an object at 8" could do this. So much for theory, eh? :)

The checkpoints are also supposed to be set up such that you can avoid them. But, the cops always cheat this aspect - I've never seen one where you weren't forced to continue through one after you first see it.

SCOTUS decided that the threat to public safety posed by drunk drivers is more important than your constitutional right to not be subjected to unwarranted stops and searches.

Most places that re-sell appliances won't take in major appliances over 5 years old, no matter what condition they are in. I had a perfectly good set in my business that I couldn't take with me when I moved locations. Only DESTINED FOR GRACE thrift store was willing to come and get it, and I'm confident they found someone who needed an inexpensive one.

Unlike vehicle to vehicle contact where it takes quite a bit of force to cause harmful results vehicle to motorcycle contact requires very little contact and it may not show.... a tap to the front tire, a tap to the edge of the handlebar, a tap to the rider's leg - none of these will leave much evidence but can have disastrous effects.

PLEASE keep an eye out for motorcycles.... that's a human being on board.

When the US Supreme Court approved this sort of unwarranted search they required that some notice be given. Silly compromise with the Constitution in my opinion as it creates a system in which "process" is more important than substance. But these notices are supposed to be provided in a timely manner. Seems like this one may be a bit tardy?

No one else had issues with the website? I got a WOT warning when I went to the site saying it was unreliable (looked fine to me, but thought I'd mention it). Also, no pics? What exactly was the graffiti, besides blue & red? Was it just sloshed around, or were words written?

I was about 5 minutes behind this accident. The CHP website said two riders, but I only saw one. By the time I went by, another fire truck had come causing the group of cars I was in to come to a stop. I was right across from the rider who was face down on the left shoulder. There were multiple fire fighters around him & crouching to speak to him. From the looks of it, they didn't want to move him yet. I also saw the VW which was pulled to the left shoulder somewhat after where the crash occurred. My initial thought was just that they saw the accident and pulled over, but they could have tried to change lanes and forced the MC into the center divider. These are just assumptions though and I hope the riders are OK. This literally took my breath away and I've been looking on the news to see if there is any update on their condition (although, like I said, I did not see a second ride).

I was in similar condition. Dr. told me I needed immediate back surgery. Fortunately, someone recommended I read a book called "Healing Back Pain" by John Sarno. I went out and read it that night and it changed my life. I highly recommend reading it.

Flicka & 444 - I believe the comments you refer to are trolls/sarcasm. At least I hope so - can't believe someone would actually think it's ok to run a red light because the person who has the green should slow down and/or stop prior to the intersection to ensure it's clear before proceeding. And the disclaimer was funny, and I don't see anyone actually being offended.Thanks UH!

There were perhaps 40 people at this so-called public meeting. Compare that to the 20,000+ people who live in the Eastside neighborhood. Many of those 40 people belong to political organizations such as COAST and SBCAN who support political candidates. They do not represent the Eastside community and account for only .2% of the Eastside population.

Roger, if I had to guess, I'd assume the VW was about to turn into the motorcycle's path, and the bike swerved to avoid & went down. Bikes are pretty much invisible to most drivers, and I've seen that happen pretty frequently, minus the bike going down part. At least that's how I picture it happening.

Try a chiropractor that uses decompression to relieve the pressure on the disc that is most likely causing recurring sciatica. It worked for me and kept me from more invasive procedures recommended by an orthopedic surgeon.

Flicka, this is 292. I actually got paged at the gate about the matches. Frankly, at the time I didn't really know what it was about and just laughed and said "do whatever you need to do with them." I always have a book or two of matches in my bags and briefcase--it's the "be prepared" thing. I was too numb at the time to realize that what they'd found were Mom's old matchbooks. What amused me then, and ticks me off now, is that matches in checked baggage are forbidden, whereas you can have them in a carry-on. What's up with that? The luggage hold is colder than hell, they certainly aren't going to spontaneously ignite.

Why would anyone be offended by the disclaimer? It helps keep uncomplimentry comments by insecure people at arms length, they can puff up their egos another way. The report was made by bright, intellegent people; if they go fast and make a mistake, so what; they have important lives and are kind enough to take time out to keep us informed. It's the content we're interested in. Thanks, UHers for the report and pictures.

That is why there are lights on BOTH corners facing west. If your in doubt you look to the other corner.As far as the poster who wanted to blame the police officer because entered the intersecion on a green light and got struck after entering the intersection by the Honda violating 21453 a CVC he likely could not even see the vehicle approaching from the west because of the pawn shop and even if he could see the headlights, why would he assume that the car would not stop and would run through the red light and collide with him after he entered the intersection legally or even imagine that he should have jammed on the brakes before entering the intersection and not proceed even though his light was green and he was probably going 25 miles per hour? As we all know from the officer Casey flap, failing to proceed on a green light is a vioation of the vehicle code.

Years ago when I was leaving work at the County Admin Bldg., I had the misfortune to witness a red-light-runner accident at Victoria & Anacapa. Fairly high-speed, followed by much wailing from one of the vehicles. This isn't funny.

AT&T gave us a free micro cell box and now we get great cell service. The ranch has been letting more and more companies put in mini cells on poles, so service is getting better. Mertro PC burried wires under the roads a few years back. Cox cable works great here. They use to have welcome parties for new members to meet others but I am not sure if that still happens. Just drive down to the beach and make some friends. People are welcoming here.

Hope Ranch is a little slice of heaven. There is a real sense of community here. You are greeted by palm lined streets every time you come home. We all meet at the beach and enjoy how blessed we are. There are not a lot of snobby people here (a few yes). We help each other and watch out for each others kids. People move here so their kids can get into the local elementary school. We have beach festivals and barn dances. The only homes that tend to have mold issues are the ocean front homes and the ones in the fog line. Otherwise, just cut down some trees or trim the ones you can't. Invest in floor heaters and skylights. Our home is bright and mold free. If you are able to purchase a home here, you can't go wrong. Really all American are lucky to live with running water and electricity. Take it from someone who grew up using an outhouse, life is good here!!

There are many ways to approach this painful condition; the one that worked for me did not involve doctors or medication, rather I spent some time with a teacher and learned Alexander Technique. OK, there might have been some physical therapy in there, too, but Alexander Technique will help you overcome years of bad habits that probably contributed to your problem, and to learn a new way of using your body that will keep it from recurring. Non-invasive, no medications, non-mystical, spend a couple hours a week with a teacher (one on one is best) and learn a very grounded, practical way to be pain free! Do the research, find a teacher or a class and supplement with many of the suggestions offered by others on this thread.

You pay more for montecito because of the name. Hope ranch is far more convenient in terms of proximity to shopping, hospitals etc. the Private beach access is wonderful not to mention the miles and miles of riding trails and being adjacent to the More Mesa open space. The coastal climate is much more pleasant than the foothill montecito climate as well. Imo

I had sciatic pain for over 20 years, it would come and go, and long as I rested it would subside within a month. The last time I had it, it wouldn't go away no matter what I did, rest, ice, heat, PT made it worse, and my symptoms continued to worsen, pain though the hip, down the leg to the ankle, felt like someone was stabbing me all the time. I was only able to lay in bed for an hour at a time, finally I lost function in my leg, and decided to have an MRI. I had a herniated disc that was pinching a nerve. I decided to have surgery, and it was the best decision I ever made. Nerve pain is nothing to live with if you don't have to. It was outpatient surgery, and when I woke up, I wanted to dance. It was awesome to be able to walk pain free. Dr. Thomas Jones changed the quality of my life, and I am so very thankful to/for him.

Suicide means chemical imbalance in the brain, but people don't really know how to get back to balance in their brain, though doctors keep searching.Search Buteyko, include Youtube, some good videos on there. Buteykos asthma cure via reduced breathing exercises in my opinion may be a cure for suicide, etc. just a guess based on my own medical history.

Hope Ranch is a dream come true community. The private access beach is amazing and is the hub of the community, any given evening in the summer you will find neighbors enjoying dinner and friendships while the family plays in the water or a game of volleyball. Winter brings glorious sunsets! The equestrian has miles of trails and the Modoc Riding ring, tennis at the courts has been very active lately & La Cumbre Country Club is clean fun for people of all ages.

The County repaired Las Palmas, finally, the private roads are well maintained.

Mold, really? Well, all I can say is if you maintain your home you should not have a problem.

Verizon has good coverage for your cell phone.

Life in Hope Ranch is a wonderful, come join us! You will be glad you did!

Another vote for find a different PT. I had sciatica from a disc that kept me from running and went to several PTs and chiropractors, tried deep tissue, stretching, epidural, everything. A program of Active Release Technique (ART) and strengthening was the only thing that worked. Still pain-free and running 8 years later.

370, no amount of good excuses the evil they've perpetrated. That evil is part of the culture of the church's administration. They shelter and protect evil and denounce those harmed by that evil. Continuing to support the Roman Catholic Church means supporting that evil. There are plenty of religious organizations that do not protect child molesters. Support them instead.

An MRI scan found a cyst in my back pressing on the sciatic nerve. Once the cyst was surgically removed, no more sciatica. Heat, ice, acupuncture, PT, cortisone did no good and couldn't have done anything for the cyst.

There are some quirky folks there, like anywhere. Check history, police/ sheriff calls to neighbor addresses. Check issues with horse trails, neighbors. Homeowners fees were quite reasonable last I checked. Foggy more because closer to beach. There's also some lots with poor soil, shaky geology.

Which department would one obtain information such information from the city? In person or by phone? How does one know the information is correct? Edhat is a forum and through the input of many readers often one can gain a fuller view of an issue. Thank you Edhat and Edhat readers.

i used to walk my boyfriend's 110-lb Malamute/Arctic wolf mix. It got so I had to stay off the beaten path(s). Couldn't get in a good walk, we spent so much time talking with people. Everyone went nuts over that dog.

I suspect you have the same "problem" whenever you walk Lama. We should get together and walk our dogs. Mine is a shade under five lbs. I bet we wouldn't get around the block in under an hour.